I was channel-surfing with my obnoxiously precocious six-year-old niece Gabby (her full name is Gabrielle Callisto Aphrodite Zimbelman; she was conceived at a Xena convention) when we stumbled upon a rerun of Blaster Patrol. “My favorite show! Did you write this one, Uncle Ricky?”

Picture, if you will, perky young Mary Sue, an aspiring TV writer who’s celebrating her first sale. But her enthusiasm will soon be tested, for she has no idea what terrors await in… The Writers’ Room.